Blog.

Congratulations to the students at Loyola University of Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine for founding the newest chapter of Citizen Physicians! We're thrilled to have you!

​Kate Nowakowski is passionate about civic engagement and health policy. She spent a year working with underserved populations as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She also has examined issues such as American Indian health, end of life care and precision medicine in her research in biomedical ethics. She has witnessed our broken health care system and its disservice to patients and hopes to change it through health policy work in future. When asked about why she wanted to bring Citizen Physicians to her campus, Kate responded: "Healthcare professionals have a unique perspective on many issues and it's tremendously important that we help them engage in the political process to better inform our systems going forward. Citizen Physicians strives for this goal and I'm excited to participate."

​Stephanie Glick is deeply invested in community health and advocacy as a future physician. She studied biology, public health and development at Houghton College. Following graduation, Stephanie spent a year working as a medical assistant in community health centers in Sierra Leone and Buffalo, NY. She engages in current issues and believes that gaining insight into policy and understanding the system she works in is a critical component of providing quality care to her future patients. When asked why she's excited about Citizen Physicians at Loyola she answered: “I am convinced that civic engagement is key for bringing positive change in a broken system and I am excited to see how Citizen Physicians will encourage healthcare providers to find their voice.”

​Nicolas Semenchuk staffed the Health and Reform & Human Services Committees in the Arizona House of Representatives during Medicaid expansion, and subsequently worked as a community organizer and campaign manager for decision-makers that expanded access to care. The adversity his family experienced in accessing care inspired his decision to pursue medical training at Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. His career goals are to provide quality primary care in underserved communities while also informing policy, system, and environmental interventions that improve delivery efficiency and community health outcomes. To this end, he is excited to join Citizen Physicians and work toward increasing civic action among medical students and professionals at Loyola University Medical Center.

​Maggie Bennett is originally from Wilmington, NC. She grew up on the beach before moving to Boston for undergrad and her masters in cell biology. Now a student at Loyola, she looks forward to working to further civically engage herself and her peers this coming year!